water /top end cleaner
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Jan 2001
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From: Mickleton NJ
water /top end cleaner
I was at a local cruise the other night, and was telling a mechanic friend about my hard start, when the car is warm. I told him that I was reading on the Forum about top end cleaner , and was thinking about doing it. He told me at the dealership where he works they spray water into the air filter. He claims this really cleans up the injectors and so forth. Besides being a mechanic he owns a Camaro, and a Hayabusa , which he says he uses water on both. Has anyone ever heard of doing this, thanks Jim.
Team Owner
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 21,325
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From: small town in S.E Pa. PA
St. Jude Donor '03-'04
Originally Posted by Jim D
I was at a local cruise the other night, and was telling a mechanic friend about my hard start, when the car is warm. I told him that I was reading on the Forum about top end cleaner , and was thinking about doing it. He told me at the dealership where he works they spray water into the air filter. He claims this really cleans up the injectors and so forth. Besides being a mechanic he owns a Camaro, and a Hayabusa , which he says he uses water on both. Has anyone ever heard of doing this, thanks Jim.
Racer
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 421
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From: Dallas Texas
Spray water into the air filter? Wouldn't this just ruin the air filter and hydrolock your engine?
I've used Seafoam on my camaro and vette and have liked it a lot. I was a little disappointed that I didn't get much black smoke out of the vette at first. I drove out to the highway and pulled out in front of some slow moving, on coming traffic and gave it some gas. The car sputtered for a bit which scared me for a sec, then it roared to life and left a huge cloud of black smoke for those 20 cars to enjoy while they were stuck behind the one slow driver, lol.
I've used Seafoam on my camaro and vette and have liked it a lot. I was a little disappointed that I didn't get much black smoke out of the vette at first. I drove out to the highway and pulled out in front of some slow moving, on coming traffic and gave it some gas. The car sputtered for a bit which scared me for a sec, then it roared to life and left a huge cloud of black smoke for those 20 cars to enjoy while they were stuck behind the one slow driver, lol.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 7,981
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From: Piedmont, SC Currently Own: 99 Nassau blue FRC. Previously Owned: 84,95,98 Indy Pace,01 Z06
Yes!!! When I had my '84 vette I use to pour water in the throttlebody while someone would be in the car keeping the rpms up! I poured just a slow trickle in while someone was giving it gas, so it would not flood! Have to say, alot of carbon build up came out of the exhaust, and it ran alot better afterwards! I don't know if I would try it with a C5 though!
Safety Car
Joined: Nov 2003
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From: San Diego, CA "leaf" "tee" "e"
I've used SeaFoam thru the PCV connection on the side of the throttle body. Watch out for backflow if the engine stalls. I'm not sure what happened, but when I was doing mine the engine stalled and air backflowed into the bottle I had SeaFoam in, and it sprayed all over the place. SeaFoam is a good thing to do if you're installing a catch can, and a good thing to do annually if you don't install a catch can.
Eugene
Eugene
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Le Mans Master
Joined: Apr 2002
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From: Glendale NY
St. Jude Donor '08-'09-'10-'11-'12-'13-'14-'15-'16-'17-'18- '19
SeaFoam
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What the heck is SeaFoam,I can tell you are using it to remove carbon build up, who sells it?
I have never heard of it
Originally Posted by leaftye
I've used SeaFoam thru the PCV connection on the side of the throttle body. Watch out for backflow if the engine stalls. I'm not sure what happened, but when I was doing mine the engine stalled and air backflowed into the bottle I had SeaFoam in, and it sprayed all over the place. SeaFoam is a good thing to do if you're installing a catch can, and a good thing to do annually if you don't install a catch can.Eugene
What the heck is SeaFoam,I can tell you are using it to remove carbon build up, who sells it?
I have never heard of it
Safety Car
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 4,979
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From: San Diego, CA "leaf" "tee" "e"
6spd98, let me start a little bit earlier. First of all, I wanted to use GM's Top End Cleaner that's usually available at the dealerships part counter. I was in California when I decided to do this, and quickly found that GM's Top End Cleaner was banned earlier this year, but SeaFoam, available at Napa wasn't caught in the ban. Anyway, at Napa it's about $6 a can. I can't tell you how much GM's Top End Cleaner is, but I'd guess $5. Make sure you get the bottle, not the worthless tiny spray bottle.
Eugene
Eugene
Le Mans Master
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 6,927
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From: Glendale NY
St. Jude Donor '08-'09-'10-'11-'12-'13-'14-'15-'16-'17-'18- '19
SeaFoam
________________________________________ ____________________
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Thanks Eugene......I know the GM Top End Cleaner creates a lot of smoke, if I tried using it it my neighborhood some one would definitely call the fire dept.-police-and local newspaper
. I'll look for SeaFoam next time I pass a Napa store
Originally Posted by leaftye
6spd98, let me start a little bit earlier. First of all, I wanted to use GM's Top End Cleaner that's usually available at the dealerships part counter. I was in California when I decided to do this, and quickly found that GM's Top End Cleaner was banned earlier this year, but SeaFoam, available at Napa wasn't caught in the ban. Anyway, at Napa it's about $6 a can. I can't tell you how much GM's Top End Cleaner is, but I'd guess $5. Make sure you get the bottle, not the worthless tiny spray bottle.
Eugene
Eugene
Thanks Eugene......I know the GM Top End Cleaner creates a lot of smoke, if I tried using it it my neighborhood some one would definitely call the fire dept.-police-and local newspaper
. I'll look for SeaFoam next time I pass a Napa store
Drifting
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 1,437
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From: UNDER THE HOOD
Originally Posted by luvinc5
If you want to use water, the key is a small trickle. Don't use a water hose with a running stream of water.
Safety Car
Joined: Nov 2003
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From: San Diego, CA "leaf" "tee" "e"
I'm sure water works, but with the chemicals you actually try to stall the engine, and then let the chemicals soak the engine for 8 hours or so before restarting it. You'll get a lot of smoke during the initial process, but if you wait for 8 hours, WHOA! Lot's-n-lots of smoke!
Dan, not worth the risk. That MAF has caused me soo many headaches that there's no way I'd mess with it.
Eugene
Dan, not worth the risk. That MAF has caused me soo many headaches that there's no way I'd mess with it.
Eugene
Tech Contributor
Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 12,094
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From: Colorado Springs, CO
St. Jude Donor '08-'09-'10-'11
Originally Posted by Jim D
I was at a local cruise the other night, and was telling a mechanic friend about my hard start, when the car is warm. I told him that I was reading on the Forum about top end cleaner , and was thinking about doing it. He told me at the dealership where he works they spray water into the air filter.
He claims this really cleans up the injectors and so forth.
Besides being a mechanic he owns a Camaro, and a Hayabusa , which he says he uses water on both. Has anyone ever heard of doing this, thanks Jim.
He claims this really cleans up the injectors and so forth. Besides being a mechanic he owns a Camaro, and a Hayabusa , which he says he uses water on both. Has anyone ever heard of doing this, thanks Jim.
The steam effect is where these top engine cleaner type fixes get their cleaning power from as far as removing carbon deposits. I soaked a carbon coated valve in top engine cleaner for 24 hrs and still couldn't get the carbon off with aggressive wiping with a rag.....the steam/heat is part of the cleaning effect.
Team Owner
Joined: Mar 2001
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From: small town in S.E Pa. PA
St. Jude Donor '03-'04
here is my more than 2 cents... if you pulled the motor apart, and used a steam gun you would not instantly remove the burnt on carbon.. the process of removing carbon requires a chemical which isn't burnt off at combustion temperatures..it is absorbed by the carbon and causes a chemical breakdwn of the carbon.. the intitial cleaning action is only the surface carbon.. the breakdown occurs over several hours and is slowly and safely burned off .. no chunks of carbon getting stuck on a valve seat. I would never use water on an LS1 motor. The End
Drifting
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 1,437
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From: UNDER THE HOOD
Originally Posted by Evil-Twin
here is my more than 2 cents... if you pulled the motor apart, and used a steam gun you would not instantly remove the burnt on carbon.. the process of removing carbon requires a chemical which isn't burnt off at combustion temperatures..it is absorbed by the carbon and causes a chemical breakdwn of the carbon.. the intitial cleaning action is only the surface carbon.. the breakdown occurs over several hours and is slowly and safely burned off .. no chunks of carbon getting stuck on a valve seat. I would never use water on an LS1 motor. The End